Stephen Peters was a young player tipped for great things. Such predictions never quite bore fruit but his longevity in first-class cricket could not be questioned. That was summed up when he was appointed Northants' first-class captain ahead of the 2013 campaign and was also awarded a benefit. That captaincy came to grief in spectacular fashion as Northants, in their first season back in Division One, were relegated by a country mile in 2014. Peters was replaced as captain by Alex Wakely but as Northants embarked upon a clearout of senior players, he decided to stay put and see out the remaining year of his contract in red-ball cricket only.

Peters marked his first-class debut for Essex with 110 against Cambridge University in 1996, aged just 17 years and 194 days to become the county's youngest first-class centurion. He went on to play with distinction for England Under-19s, and made a century to win the man-of-the-match award in the final of the U-19 World Cup in South Africa in 1997-98.

However, like many prolific young players, he found the step up to county cricket - and beyond - a difficult one. He left Essex for Worcestershire in 2002, hopeful that a change of scenery would reinvigorate his career, and while he scored runs in patches he was soon on the move again, joining Northamptonshire at the start of the 2006 season. Here he acquired new levels of consistency, scoring three first-class centuries in six consecutive seasons as an opening batsman. ESPNcricinfostaff